Woodstock Town Board sets hearing on proposed zoning law changes

WOODSTOCK, N.Y. -- The Town Board has set an April 16 public hearing for comments on proposed changes to the zoning law.

The session is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the municipal office meeting room on Comeau Drive.

Supervisor Jeremy Wilber said among revisions is language proposed by the town Planning Board for dealing with structures in the Scenic Overlay District.

"They initially had a recommendation (for) regulation in the Scenic Overlay, elevations above 1,200 feet," he said. "We regulate development so there is a special use permit and your windows (don't) create too much glare and your house doesn't stick out too much."

Advertisement

Wilber said the current law does not apply to accessory buildings under 300 square feet.

"That was so if you're just putting up a shed you don't have to go through the rigmarole, but sometimes people want to come in and put these 300 square foot solariums on the side of their house, which create all this glare and there's no way to regulate them," he said.

"So now it would be any accessory building or structure that doesn't comply with standards ... having to do with glare, color, texture, and all those kinds of things," Wilber said. "As long as they comply with those standards, they don't have to apply for a special use permit."

Other proposed changes include:

o Agreeing to increase the allowed space for home occupations from 500 to 800 square feet for dwellings over 1,600 square feet. For smaller homes the amount would be based on a percentage of floor space.

o Setting the minimum floor area at 250 square feet for studio apartments, 320 square feet for one-bedroom apartments, and no more than 800 square feet for accessory apartments.

o Establishing lighting standards for parking lots to specify the intensity of light, height of light poles for pedestrian walkways, requiring energy-efficient fixtures, and reducing the amount of light in parking lots after the close of business.

o Limiting the town Zoning Board of Appeals authority to cases involving decisions by the zoning enforcement officer and applications for area variances based on town Planning Board reviews.